Paper App from Facebook

Facebook’s new Paper app isn’t just a news reader — it’s a new way for Facebook users to look at their News Feed. Designed to be an all-purpose reading hub, the app combines content from friends with specially-curated sections, including top headlines, tech news and, of course, cute animals.

It’s one of a new breed of mobile-first applications designed to add a new dimension to the experience of using Facebook. At first blush, it’s a different experience from what the social network’s users are accustomed to seeing from the company.

A Newsfeed….

At its core, Paper is a story reader. Each section, including a user’s News Feed, features a slide show on the top half of the screen, and a series of cards with stories running along the bottom half of the screen. Users swipe up on a story to read it, and swipe left and right to switch between sections.

For stories that are too long to read right away, users can send them to a read-it-later service of their choice, like Pocket or Instapaper. Photos open up in a viewer that by default shows only a small section of the image, and then shifts perspective based on the direction a user tilts their phone.

Friend Requests and Notifications

In addition to stories from News Feed and other sources, Paper also lets users respond to friend requests, and receive notifications from friends that open within the app. Even though it doesn’t offer dedicated access to the social network’s Groups feature, users can still access posts in groups they belong to through notifications.

The app also features messaging with the ever-familiar “chat heads” interface that came to the social network’s apps from its ill-fated Facebook Home Android app, and has since spread to other platforms. Interestingly, users aren’t sent to Facebook’s Messenger app, like they are on the main Facebook iPhone app.

What’s really fascintating about Paper is that it feels designed to replace the current Facebook app. The content and presentation are very much still Facebook, but the company’s vertical timelines are gone, as is its blue-and-white color scheme.

This feels like the sort of app Facebook would produce if it was a new startup launching today: mobile first, purpose-built for a particular platform and standing out from its competitors in the social networking space.

Paper App is now currently available in US iOS App Store. Below is the link you can use to download Paper App if you live outside of US: